Editor’s note: “Introducing…” is a new series of feature profiles that spotlights lesser-known Chicago acts. This first installment showcases Chicago folk-indie singer/songwriter Andy B. White.

In a cozy, first floor apartment made just right for one tucked away in New Lenox, Illinois, emerging singer/songwriter Andy B. White sat down and told a story of how he learned to play music.

Upon meeting White, his bashful and good-natured demeanor never let on that criminal activity would be involved in his story, but indeed it is.

“My dad had always played guitar. When I went to college I stole that guitar and took it with me hoping somehow I would learn how to play it,” White said.

Lucky for him, his father didn’t press charges and White was paired with a roommate who happened to know the ins and outs of the string instrument and taught him to play.

In fact, White and his roommate started a band called Favorite, which played all over Chicago including The Metro. White performed as a guitarist of Favorite and after the band took a hiatus, he started thinking about a solo career.

“We always said in our band that the stage is kind of like a drug; you get addicted to it,” White said. “Being able to sing for people and connect with them in that way is something I didn’t want to lose so I kept it up.”

Now, this Indie/Folk singer tickles those strings all by himself and combined with an ingenuous voice, White owns his one-man shows.

“I tend to rearrange my songs as I’m playing them,” White said. “Sometimes people notice and sometimes they don’t, but you can do that when it’s just you.”

White’s CD is filled with songs about heartbreak and letting go. When he sings it is perfectly understandable to wonder where his longing came from or why his mini-album is called Dirty Wings.

“It’s a reference to the baggage that we all carry,” White said. “As we grow older we get more experience, but we also get more baggage to carry along with us. Clean wings would be no baggage, but dirty wings would be something that holds us back.”

White’s baggage can’t be all that heavy because it doesn’t hold him back when playing his music. He has played in small venues such as Stillwater in Downers Grove and Uncommon Ground in Wrigleyville. His upcoming shows include performances at 4Bar in the Sheraton Hotel in downtown Chicago on June 13 and at Heritage Fest in Downers Grove on June 27.

Andy B. White Interview

Andy B. White Live Performance in New Lenox